State Rep. Steve Davisson (R-Salem) recently welcomed Addison and Cannon Roop to the Statehouse where they served as pages.

Addison and Cannon Roop, from Campbellsburg, attend West Washington Middle School.

As House pages, the students toured the governor’s office, the House and Senate chambers, and the Indiana Supreme Court. They also helped staff with their daily tasks and met with Davisson to learn more about the legislative process.

“Serving as a House page gives young Hoosiers a chance to watch the legislative process and experience a day at the Statehouse,” Davisson said. “This is a great opportunity that young people from our community should look into for next year’s legislative session.”

Students between the ages of 13 to 18 who are interested in paging during the 2020 session can learn more and sign up atwww.indianahouserepublicans.com/pageprogram. Participants receive an excused absence from school and groups can request to page together.

State Rep. Steve Davisson (R-Salem) represents House District 73 which includes Washington County, and portions of Orange, Lawrence, Jackson, Clark and Harrison counties. 

Jackson County Prosecutor Jeffrey A. Chalfant has issued a decision on the April officer-involved shooting that resulted in the dead of Barry Alan Rucker. 

Chalfant concludes that Brownstown Police Chief Tom Hanner and Assistant Chief Joe Kelly were justified in using deadly force against Rucker, who was involved in an altercation at the local police department. 

Summary of Conclusion: On April 3, 2019 at approximately 8:29 a.m. in Brownstown, Indiana, Brownstown Police Department Chief Tom Hanner and Assistant Chief Joe Kelly lawfully used deadly force against Barry Alan Rucker in an act of self-defense.

Applicable law: Indiana law provides that a law enforcement officer has the same right as any other person to assert self-defense under Indiana Code 35-41-3-2.  The use of deadly force is authorized in Indiana when a person reasonably believes that deadly force is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to that person or a third person – Indiana Code 35-41-3-2(c).

Summary of investigation: The Indiana State Police, by way of lead investigator Andrew Mitchell and with the assistance of other Indiana State Police investigators, conducted a thorough investigation, which consisted of multiple witness interviews, review of videos and documents.

On the morning of April 3, 2019 Kathryn Branaman took her daughter to school in Brownstown, and then drove away in her pick-up truck. Branaman reached behind the truck seats and felt and then saw Barry Rucker who was hiding in the back of the truck. Ms. Branaman previously had been in a relationship with Mr. Rucker, but the relationship ended in late 2018 after Mr. Rucker had threatened Ms. Branaman with a machete. Mr. Rucker pulled out a handgun, pointed it at Ms. Branaman, and told her to drive into the country. Ms. Branaman instead drove to the Brownstown Police Department and ran inside to get help.

The Brownstown Police Department is a small department, and the only two officers on duty were assisting with traffic at the local schools.

Mr. Rucker pursued Ms. Branaman into the Brownstown Police Department, drug her outside, and said to Ms. Branaman, “I’m gonna kill you [expletive]. You better get out. I’ll shoot you right here.”

A citizen driving by noticed the struggle, called 911, and reported the man had a gun.

Chief Hanner and Assistant Chief Kelly arrived and confronted Mr. Rucker.

Chief Hanner’s body camera captured significant portions of the encounter. The officers ordered Mr. Rucker away from Ms. Branaman and to show his hands, but Mr. Rucker did not cooperate.

The officers attempted to use “less lethal” measures by their use of Tasers on Mr. Rucker, but the Tasers did not completely incapacitate Mr. Rucker.

After Mr. Rucker fell to the ground, he pointed a handgun at Chief Hanner.

The handgun is visible in Mr. Rucker’s hands on Chief Hanner’s body camera video.  The officers told Mr. Rucker repeatedly to drop his weapon, but Mr. Rucker did not comply and remained a deadly force threat to the officers. 

The firearm that Mr. Rucker was armed with was a handgun which by design was capable of firing shotgun shells, and was in fact loaded with shotgun shells. 

Chief Hanner and Assistant Chief Kelly shot Mr. Rucker. Law enforcement officers with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department responded and rendered emergency medical aid to Mr. Rucker.

The Jackson County Ambulance Service transported Mr. Rucker to Schneck Medical Center, where Mr. Rucker was pronounced dead.

An autopsy revealed that Mr. Rucker died of multiple gunshot wounds.

The autopsy also revealed that Mr. Rucker’s blood contained Methamphetamine and Fentanyl.

The Indiana State Police investigated the incident and forwarded the investigation to the Office of the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney for review.

Conclusion: Brownstown Police Department Chief Tom Hanner and Assistant Chief Joe Kelly were faced with an actual deadly force threat on April 3, 2019. Pursuant to Indiana law the officers were justified in using deadly force to protect themselves and citizens in the area from that threat and there is no criminal liability on the part of the officers. Chief Hanner and Assistance Chief Kelly and the citizen who called 911 most likely saved Kathryn Branaman’s life.

On Monday, May 13, 2019, shortly after 7 p.m., Indiana State Policeunits from the Sellersburg Post were dispatched to a crash on Eastern Blvd. and US 31 in Clarksville to investigate a collision in which a marked Jeffersonville Police cruiser had been “T-boned” by a white Chevrolet pickup truck. 

During the crash investigation, both drivers were transported by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries to area hospitals. 

The driver of the white pickup, Gary Vincent Crowe Jr., 53, Clarksville, was transported to an area hospital in Louisville to be examined and also to obtain a blood-draw for possible OWI charges. 

Once at the hospital it is alleged that Gary Crowe Jr. fled upon arrival. 

He was later apprehended by officers with the St. Matthews Police Department and transported to the University of Louisville Hospital for completion of the testing. 

A warrant was subsequently issued in Indiana for Mr. Crowe.  St. Mathews Police then arrested Gary Crowe on the warrant, and he was remanded into the custody of Metro Corrections in Louisville, KY. 

Gary Crowe Jr. is preliminarily charged with the following:

• 1)  OWI Causing Bodily Injury – Level 6 Felony
• 2)  Obstruction of Justice – Level 6 Felony
• 3)  OWI Endangerment – A Misdemeanor
• 4)  Reckless Driving – A Misdemeanor

Officer Hunter Powell of the Jeffersonville Police Department was driving the fully-marked policecruiser at the time of the crash.  Officer Hunter was released from the hospital and is recovering at home with his family. 

This investigation is ongoing.  Indiana State Police Troopers were assisted by units from the Clarksville Police Department, the Clarksville Fire Department, and the Jeffersonville PoliceDepartment. 

A 72-year-old Seymour man was killed in Tuesday afternoon on I-65 near the Uniontown exit.

Shortly before 5:00 pm, the Indiana State Police responded to a single vehicle crash on I-65 southbound near the 40 mile marker that claimed the life of a Seymour man.

The initial investigation by Trooper Korry Clark, Indiana State Police-Versailles Crash Reconstruction Team, indicated that a 2005 Ford truck being driven by Randall F. Carr, age 72, Seymour,  was traveling southbound on I-65 near the 40 mile marker, just south of the Uniontown exit. 

For an unknown reason, Carr’s vehicle drove off the west side of the roadway.  Carr’s vehicle hit an embankment and rolled over before coming to rest in a field on the west side of I-65.

As a result of the collision, Carr sustained fatal injuries. 

He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.

Toxicology results are pending at this time.  The crash remains under investigation.

All lanes of I-65 remained open during the crash investigation and cleanup.

Randall Carr’s family has been notified.

Trp. Clark was assisted by other troopers from the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post.  He was also assisted by the Crothersville Police Department, Vernon Township Fire Department, Jackson County EMS, Jackson County Coroner’s Office, and Howard’s Wrecker Service.